Lynn Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Drug Charges

BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2022 in federal court in Boston to firearm and narcotics charges arising from a traffic stop in Dorchester.

Rahiym Mervin, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for Feb. 8, 2023. Mervin was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 30, 2022.

“Despite his multiple past encounters with the criminal legal system and being out on bail for a separate state gun and drug case, Mr. Mervin continued engaging in illegal activity involving narcotics and firearms,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Now he is in the federal system. We will continue to work with our local law enforcement partners to assist in removing dangerous, violent individuals from our communities. The hard-working people in these communities deserve to feel safe.”

“Residents in Boston suffering from substance use disorder are often the most vulnerable to violent crime in the neighborhoods of Boston,” said Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox. “The Boston Police Department, with our law enforcement partners, are committed to saving lives by stopping the flow of narcotics and illegal firearms into our neighborhoods, and I commend these efforts to hold offenders accountable for preying on our most vulnerable. I look forward to continued collaboration to target those individuals causing this harm”.

On the evening of Dec. 15, 2021, Mervin was observed speeding on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and was subsequently pulled over by local police. A search of Mervin’s rented vehicle resulted in the recovery of two high-capacity firearm magazines, 380 grams of cocaine, 135 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine, cocaine and caffeine and 96 grams of a fentanyl analog – an extremely potent opioid, substantially more powerful than heroin. A loaded 9mm handgun and a portion of the narcotics were also discovered inside a “hide” behind the climate control panel in the dashboard. Mervin was arrested on scene and has been in custody since.

At the time of his arrest, Mervin was on bail on similar gun and narcotics charges pending in Norfolk County arising from an incident in Quincy in May 2019. In addition, Mervin was previously convicted in June 2016 in Plymouth County of possessing a firearm without a license, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, six years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins, Commissioner Cox and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil of Rollins’ Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.